The key arguments which persuaded us to support the proposal are:
q One CTC charitable body would become a united organisation speaking for all cyclists
Which assumes that "the CTC" is currently not speaking as a united organisation. Apparently, as a CTC Right-to-Ride representative, I've been speaking in the name of the Trust since 2005. I don't remember being told this, so I've continued to campaign on behalf of "the CTC". I don't think local authority staff are that bothered about the legal niceties, they just want to know that I'm well informed and knowledgeable on cycling matters.
q Members and the council would regain full direct control of the CTC including all its assets
Which assumes that CTC members lost control of some parts of the CTC when the Trust was formed.
Which parts of the CTC do members not currently have control over?
q All trustees would be elected by CTC members
The official FAQ page on this says "These Trustees of the CTC Charitable Trust are appointed and removed by CTC Council. At present there are 4 Trustees, all of whom are also Members of CTC Council.", which suggests that all the current trustees are already elected by CTC members, at least indirectly via their elected councillors, so there wouldn't be a change there.
q Tax benefits, including Gift Aid on donations
Yes, this could generate a bit of cash, so long as the membership system can handle the record keeping required.
q Greater public goodwill and trust as a charity
Why would a change in legal status change the level of public goodwill and trust in the CTC?
q Reassurance through the charity regulations protecting members
In what way would members be more protected belonging to a registered charity, compared to the current organisation? Am I at risk of something because I'm a member?
I have satisfied myself that contracts won by CTC Charitable Trust have trained and encouraged youngsters and non-cyclists to ride bikes and have substantially added to funds available for traditional CTC member activities.
I have yet to be satisified, as there don't appear to be any financial figures to back this up. Surely the "Yes" campaign must have carefully done the maths, and can tell us exactly how much the Trust has generated for club funds? I'd be very happy to see that the Trust has been a success in generating funds as well as doing good works.
Instead we're stuck with disagreements about the money involved and some top-level Club and Trust accounts shown to the Council that contain many basic errors and inconsistencies. The biggest of which is the size of the donation from Club to Trust in 2008/2009 which appears to be either around £450,000 or £860,000 depending on who you ask. How can there be confusion and disagreement about a sum of money this large? Could the accounts be officially published before the AGM so that we can all see the numbers?
Hopefully we can answer some of these issues before we have to decide between "Yes", "No" and "don't care"...